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Taxes Raise Drug Costs
For Poor, Report Says

By

Scott Miller Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal

Updated April 21, 2005 12:01 a.m. ET

BRUSSELS -- Amid global efforts to provide drugs more cheaply to poor countries, many governments in the developing world are driving up prices by imposing often-heavy tariffs and taxes on drug imports, according to a report due out today.

The study by a conservative think tank and a health-advocacy group is one of the most comprehensive looks at poor countries' tax and tariff policies on drugs. It identifies more than 50 developing countries that levy taxes and tariffs that raise drug prices. Some countries have recently...